Optimism

     Life is full of ups and downs. Sometimes there are more ups than downs, and sometimes there are more downs than ups. When life has more ups than downs, it's easy to always stay on the bright side. When there are hardly any ups, however, it can be quite difficult. Sometimes, looking on the bright side isn't the easiest thing to do. This is a problem with pretty much everyone. Maybe it's easier for some, but that doesn't mean that it's not a constant struggle.

    I know of a lot of people who are going through hard times. We all have. But 90% of the problems we have wouldn't bother us if we didn't dwell on them so much. I mean, there will always be something negative in your life. Maybe you don't have any friends in your area, or there's this really cute guy who doesn't seem to like you back, maybe you're about to move from a well loved place. I don't know what you're going through. But I do know that with every negative there's a positive. I can't point out every positive for every negative. That list would be much too long to finish. I do know, however, how to make every negative into a positive. 

1. Remember that all bad times will end! Look, I know you're probably like, "But I want them to end NOOOOW!" Don't worry. We all do. BUUUT...

2. With every hard time, there's something good to learn from it. Okay, this may not apply to EVERYTHING (say you get really sick, the only lesson there is to not lick turtles. If that's what you did. It's a bad idea. Don't ever do it.) But most problems have something to learn from. If it's someone else causing you this problem, then their actions are a lesson of how you shouldn't be. 

3. Remember that as long as you handle the situation correctly, the worst thing that can happen is death, and if you're a Christian then is that really such a bad thing? Yeah, times  can be tough, but you'll have grown a lot by the time it's over! Isn't that a great thought? I know that if it weren't for the hard times I've gone through in my life, then I wouldn't be even remotely happy, because I wouldn't have learned how to be happy with the situation I'm in in life. And one year ago, maybe if I had the life I do now, then I wouldn't be happy with it at all! But because I know just how bad it could be, and I know that I've faced way harder times, I honestly don't see anything wrong with my life! It's all a matter of learning to appreciate the good times. I'm not saying that I'm perfect, or patting myself on the back. That's not my intention, but I do know that learning to appreciate the good times in life is an important lesson to learn in life. And it always comes after facing hard times.